Dampers: Shock Absorbers
– Unless a dampening structure is present, a car spring
will extend and release the energy it absorbs from a
bump at an uncontrolled rate. The spring will continue
to bounce at its natural frequency until all of the energy
originally put into it is used up. A suspension built on
springs alone would make for an extremely bouncy ride
and, depending on the terrain, an uncontrollable car.
– Enter the shock absorber, or snubber, a device that
controls unwanted spring motion through a process
known as dampening. Shock absorbers slow down and
reduce the magnitude of vibratory motions by turning
the kinetic energy of suspension movement into heat
energy that can be dissipated through hydraulic fluid.Dampers: Shock Absorbers
– Unless a dampening structure is present, a car spring
will extend and release the energy it absorbs from a
bump at an uncontrolled rate. The spring will continue
to bounce at its natural frequency until all of the energy
originally put into it is used up. A suspension built on
springs alone would make for an extremely bouncy ride
and, depending on the terrain, an uncontrollable car.
– Enter the shock absorber, or snubber, a device that
controls unwanted spring motion through a process
known as dampening. Shock absorbers slow down and
reduce the magnitude of vibratory motions by turning
the kinetic energy of suspension movement into heat
energy that can be dissipated through hydraulic fluid.